Game Thread GAME# 75: KINGS @ BLAZERS - MARCH 28, 2016 - MONDAY, 7:00 PM (PDT), CSNNW

[trailblazer18]

Reading those guys are gonna rest tonight made me happy at work this afternoon!

 

[Pinwheel1]

I would not rest Dame the whole game. We don't play again until Thursday. Cut his minutes but don't sit him out unless the medical staff says staying off his ankle will make a difference. Playing 20-25 minutes is not going to make a difference to the wear and tear on his body. We can not afford to lose this game and not playing him could make things too close for comfort. We are not the SA Spurs........yet

If you want to give him a night off, rest him on the second night of a back to back..... @the Warriors on the 3rd

 

[TBpup]

If Portland can't beat Sac w/o Dame with basically Sac's starting lineup sitting out this game.....on the 2nd of a back-to-back.....and on the road, then Portland has no business being anywhere near the Playoffs. Period.

 

[stampedehero]

Gay, Rondo, and Cousins all expected to miss the game to get rest.

If thats the case and we lose the team should be mortified.

 

[Pinwheel1]

If Portland can't beat Sac w/o Dame with basically Sac's starting lineup sitting out this game.....on the 2nd of a back-to-back.....and on the road, then Portland has no business being anywhere near the Playoffs. Period.

http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?id=400828825

Happens all the time....

 

[TBpup]

http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?id=400828825

Happens all the time....

One example doesn't exactly fit with "all the time". Of course it can happen but with Portland fighting for a playoff spot and all the given parameters above, it would be a completely embarrassing loss. As would have getting swept by the 76'ers which almost happened.

 

[Pinwheel1]

One example doesn't exactly fit with "all the time". Of course it can happen but with Portland fighting for a playoff spot and all the given parameters above, it would be a completely embarrassing loss. As would have getting swept by the 76'ers which almost happened.

What happens all the time are teams who are missing key players..... rise to the occasion. You take Dame of the floor and what Sac has left is not that much worse or less experienced that what we have.

D Collison
O. Casspi
W. Cauley-Stein
K. Koufos
B McLemore
Q ACY
S Curry
C Butler

It' not like we have a team full of Vets.

 

[TBpup]

What happens all the time are teams who are missing key players..... rise to the occasion. You take Dame of the floor and what Sac has left is not that much worse or less experienced that what we have.

D Collison
O. Casspi
W. Cauley-Stein
K. Koufos
B McLemore
Q ACY
S Curry
C Butler

It' not like we have a team full of Vets.

Agreed....and if Portland without Dame can't beat them at home on a 2nd or a back-to-back for them with 4 of their best players out, we probably shouldn't be making the Playoff in the first place.

 

[BigGameDamian]

Gay, Rondo, and Cousins all expected to miss the game to get rest.

BOOOO!! I'd rather beat a team totally healthy then beat a team that's not. I really wish you could dislike a post.

 

[VanillaGorilla]

Agreed....and if Portland without Dame can't beat them at home on a 2nd or a back-to-back for them with 4 of their best players out, we probably shouldn't be making the Playoff in the first place.

What do you even mean "shouldn't be"? I mean, we probably will, so what does what you think should happen matter at all? I don't get why you're even saying this.

 

[TBpup]

What do you even mean "shouldn't be"? I mean, we probably will, so what does what you think should happen matter at all? I don't get why you're even saying this.

Yes we probably are going to make the Playoffs. But this team came within a possession of getting swept by the 76'ers and if they can't beat a Sac team on the 2nd night of a back-to-back, on the road and without most of their starters, we probably shouldn't be worrying about the Playoffs even if they do make it. Probably not that good and in any year in the past 'who knows how long', this record wouldn't have made the Playoffs in the first place. So is it a good thing the the rest of the West is so bad that like years past in the East, teams that really shouldn't be in the Playoffs made it?

Hope that helps clarify. Just looking at it bigger picture.

 

[Strenuus]

BOOOO!! I'd rather beat a team totally healthy then beat a team that's not. I really wish you could dislike a post.

Why would you dislike that post? He's just stating a fact? Shooting the messenger much?

And oh.. if only we could have a dislike button...

 

[Strenuus]

Yes we probably are going to make the Playoffs. But this team came within a possession of getting swept by the 76'ers and if they can't beat a Sac team on the 2nd night of a back-to-back, on the road and without most of their starters, we probably shouldn't be worrying about the Playoffs even if they do make it. Probably not that good and in any year in the past 'who knows how long', this record wouldn't have made the Playoffs in the first place. So is it a good thing the the rest of the West is so bad that like years past in the East, teams that really shouldn't be in the Playoffs made it?

Hope that helps clarify. Just looking at it bigger picture.

But its this year. We can't control that.

 

[blue9]

So is it a good thing the the rest of the West is so bad that like years past in the East, teams that really shouldn't be in the Playoffs made it?

Hope that helps clarify. Just looking at it bigger picture.

Like you, I'm much more into the big picture than individual wins and losses. But...unlike previous seasons where near-50 win teams in the West were missing out while 30/40-win teams in the East were making the Playoffs, that's not really the case this season. The Bulls (currently #9 in the East) are no more deserving of a spot than UTH/HOU/DAL. This year, everyone who makes the POs will deserve their seed. Of course, we could probably trim it to 6, or even 4 seeds and say that seeds 5-8 in both conferences don't really deserve to play, but tradition says 8 teams per conference.

 

[Orion Bailey]

Of course he's gonna say that-- and it shouldn't be his call. Top pro athletes don't want to admit that they need rest. They got to where they are by pushing through the fatigue and having a strong mindset. Still doesn't take away from the fact that we should be able to beat a team led by Darren Collison and Willie Cauley-Stein at home without Dame.

Rest will do Dame well-- just look at how 10 days off helped him during the all star break. He'd get a solid 4 days off if he sits tonight.

NOT that I don't disagree with you, but.. LBJ?


Guys, I also want to point out that its not unheard of for a team to game plan for certain players, come to find they are not playing and then get beat by lesser skilled fill ins because they were not prepped and didn't know what to expect.
I believe we should still win, but if its a tough game, I wont be surprised in the least because we don't know who we are playing, other than we are playing reserves we haven't scouted.

 

[KingSpeed]

But its this year. We can't control that.

Exactly. And it's position. We've played better than Dallas and Houston and Utah and that's why we're 6th. Being 6th with a better record in a previous year doesn't make that 6th place better than us. Does SA's win over GS not count since the Spurs ONLY scored 87 points a mark that usually wouldn't be enough to win?

 

[KingSpeed]

Is Sacramento really benching those players?

 

[blue9]

... its not unheard of for a team to game plan for certain players, come to find they are not playing and then get beat by lesser skilled fill ins because they were not prepped and didn't know what to expect.

Yes, that's very true. However, a loss tonight would be totally unacceptable and a huge coaching failure. Simply writing off a loss like this as "their line-up scrapped our game plan" would be inexcusable. It's the home stretch with Playoff positioning on the line, not a mid-season sleepwalker.
With that said, I'm not expecting that to happen.

 

[KingSpeed]

Yes, that's very true. However, a loss tonight would be totally unacceptable and a huge coaching failure. Simply writing off a loss like this as "their line-up scrapped our game plan" would be inexcusable. It's the home stretch with Playoff positioning on the line, not a mid-season sleepwalker.
With that said, I'm not expecting that to happen.

Mid-season games have playoff positioning on the line too and that's why we're in this position. And I should ADD that it's the same rank we had last year.

 

[KingSpeed]

Seth Curry with a green light should be interesting.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

 

[Scalma]

These will be the highlights of connaughtons nba career. Jk.

 

[Chris Craig]

Pat needs to play like that in the games

 

[42N8Bounce]

It's empty in here!

Let's go Blazers!!

 

[chzbrgr]

sometimes you forget pat has a 44in vert

 

[KingSpeed]

Jazz beating Lakers by a million points. Grizzlies losing.

 

[KingSpeed]

Of course he's gonna say that-- and it shouldn't be his call. Top pro athletes don't want to admit that they need rest. They got to where they are by pushing through the fatigue and having a strong mindset. Still doesn't take away from the fact that we should be able to beat a team led by Darren Collison and Willie Cauley-Stein at home without Dame.

Rest will do Dame well-- just look at how 10 days off helped him during the all star break. He'd get a solid 4 days off if he sits tonight.

We have 8 rest days in the last 10 days before the playoffs. Only 2 games and both at home.

 

[riverman]

Go Blazers! Will miss this game...should see some bench players who don't play much tonight get some minutes!

 

[Strenuus]

Oh no. Casspi is playing. I feel like he torches us. lol.

 

[Strenuus]

Wow... this is really awkward... Tone is so awkward right now.